Chronic Pain Fells Men Faster

When it comes to chronic pain, men are not the stronger sex. Compared with women, they find it twice as tough to take the same amount of hurt.

So reports pain expert Barry Snow, a psychologist with the Orthopedic-Arthritis Pain Center at New York`s Hospital for Joint Diseases. He studied 47 men and 127 women who had suffered pain for more than six months straight. Both sexes experienced such psychological stress symptoms as anxiety, hostility, depression and confusion. But men`s symptoms were more severe than women`s, though they reported the same amount of pain. Being in pain was also more likely to lower a man`s self-esteem.

What makes men more fragile? Family roles put them on the spot. Says Snow: ``Because men are expected to be productive, to make a living, they place a high premium on staying physically active.`` And because it`s still less acceptable for men to express emotion, they tend to keep their hurt to themselves. When constant debilitating pain forces them to let it out, ``it`s like a dam breaking loose,`` says Snow. ``They`re devastated.

``Men`s families should help them realize it`s okay to admit to pain and to accept that sometimes you`re going to have to be dependent.``